THE Range Rover Sport SVR this week made its global debut at Pebble Beach in California.

The fastest, most powerful Land Rover ever produced is the first model to wear the SVR designation being adopted by future Land Rover and Jaguar high-performance models.

The Range Rover Sport SVR accelerates from 0 to 60mph in just 4.5 seconds. A top speed electronically limited to 162mph and a Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time of eight minutes 14 seconds — one of the fastest times ever recorded by a production SUV — underline its performance credentials.

The SVR’s range-topping 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine has been developed to produce 550PS and 680Nm — substantial 40PS and 56Nm increases — without compromising fuel economy.

And its advanced ZF 8HP70 8-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive chassis have been optimised to complement its astonishing performance, whatever the weather.

In a world first for Land Rover, the Range Rover Sport SVR is equipped with a two-stage active exhaust featuring electronically controlled valves.

The system optimises sound quality, performance and aesthetics and provides a racecar-inspired soundtrack at higher engine revs without adversely affecting refinement during steady-state driving.

The Range Rover Sport was introduced in 2005, and more than 500,000 examples have been built to date. Customer orders can be placed from October 2014 at an on-the-road price of £93,450.